In the 2024-25 season, the girls dive team had six divers. This year, due to having seven more divers, the team strives to send a girl to State for the first time.
Junior co-captain Carly Hallett is looking forward to meeting the new group of people that have joined the team.
“I think that this year is going to be really special,” Hallett said. “We have a lot more girls joining the team. That means we can only improve and get better. As the dive team grows, we will have a lot of people that are returning. This means more qualified divers and people that can teach anyone that’s new.”
Head coach Emily Dohogne agrees with Hallett and feels that this year will be a great success. She said the team can only continue to build upwards.
“Last year was definitely a learning year,” Dohogne said. “But, with returning divers, there is a lot more team chemistry. We had six [girls] last year and now we have 13. So there is definitely more chemistry and everyone is truly more like friends than just teammates.”
The word about the dive team has been spread through the school. Everyone is reaching out and trying to get more people to join. Senior Siri Bluestone is joining the team this year and is looking forward to the community it will bring.
“I wanted to join dive because I am not playing volleyball year round and I wanted something to do,” Bluestone said. “I really like the team and everyone seems very fun and helpful. I know that I will be surrounded by positivity and people that are willing to help me. Already in pre-season practices the returning divers have given my tips and taught me how to do dives I never would have thought I could do. The whole vibe of the team is very uplifting and exciting.”
Hallett believes that the dedication of the team is what will set them apart from previous years.
“This year I can already tell that the team is in it to win,” Hallett said. “Everyone is taking things seriously at practice and really giving their all. The team is coming together really well and I hope that throughout this season our chemistry continues to build.”
Bluestone agrees with Hallett and thinks that the team has a lot of grit and are able to push each other to be the best they can be.
“What makes this team special is that everyone helps each other,” Bluestone said. “Everything is positive, but at the same time everyone pushes you to do the best you can all of the time. We have to hold each other accountable, even though everyone competes by themselves we are still one team and it will take all of us to win.”
Many of the divers believe a lot of the improvement in the team has come from the coaching staff. Coach Dohogne is helped by Zeke Alejandro, who has 30 years of dive experience including being the Division II three-meter spring bord national champion. Junior co-captain Parker Koher believes that that experience Alejandro brings to the team helps everyone.
“Coach Zeke [Alejandro] is an amazing coach,” Koher said. “He brings high intensity but also great feedback. It makes it easy to take his feedback because you know that it is coming from someone who has been in your shoes at a level you can only hope to reach. So, I think that a big reason the team is able to be so successful is because of him.”
Overall, the girls dive team expects to improve this season and move forward due to a better group of divers and exceptional coaching improvement.
“I am most excited for this upcoming season because we have a lot of fun at practice,” Dohogne said. “We have great camaraderie at practice and I just love being about to spend time with everyone. I think that ambitiously we have some girls that could do really well in states. Especially if she works hard this year so honestly I think that this year we could make it farther than we ever have.”
